Gibson, Althea
Tennis
b. Aug. 25, 1927, Silver, SC
d. Sept. 28, 2003
Something of a tomboy as a youngster in Harlem, Gibson played basketball, stickball, and paddle tennis. She won her age group New York City paddle tennis championship in 1939 and then began taking lessons at the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club.
In 1946, a well-to-do black doctor, Hubert Eaton of Wilmington, NC, took her in to help advance her career. Barred from public courts because she was black, she practiced on Dr. Eaton's backyard court.
Gibson began playing in the all-black American Tennis Association tournaments in 1945 and won ten straight women's singles titles, from 1947 through 1956. She was the first black to play in the national indoor tournament, in early 1950, and she finished second, which should have won her an invitation to the U. S. National at Forest Hills.
No invitation came until after a letter from former champion Alice Marble appeared in the July issue of American Lawn Tennis magazine. Marble wrote, in part, "If Althea Gibson represents a challenge to the present crop of players, then it's only fair that they meet this challenge on the courts."
It took Gibson a while to adjust to the stronger competition she was now facing, but she broke through by winning the French and Italian singles championships in 1956. She also teamed with Angela Buxton to win the women's doubles events at Wimbledon and in the French championship.
Gibson's big year was 1957, when she became the first black player to win the Wimbledon singles title and the first to win the U. S. National title. She also won the women's doubles at Wimbledon with Darlene Hard and the U. S. mixed doubles with Kurt Nielsen.
Gibson in 1957 was the first black to be named Associated Press female athlete of the year. She won the award again in 1958, when she repeated as singles champion both at Wimbledon and in the U. S. nationals and won her third straight Wimbledon women's doubles title, this time with Maria Bueno.
A powerful serve and volley player, the 5-10 Gibson had the foot speed and reach for great court coverage, allowing her to return shots that seemed unreachable. A very popular champion, she received accolades from the press, fans, and fellow players for her accomplishments.
Late in 1958, she signed a $100,000 contract to play tennis exhibitions at half-time of Harlem Globetrotter games. She later played on the women's professional golf tour and pursued a career as a singer and actress.